Check out your peers' opinion papers--these are the top four. Thanks to Jaden, Karly, libby, and Claire for writing such thought-provoking pieces and for sharing them with us. If you read and like these, be sure to pass on compliments to the writer!
SOCIAL MEDIA: DESTROYING SELF-ASSURANCE IN A NARCISSISTIC AGE
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DIVORCES THEN AND TODAY
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WIRED UP: SOCIAL MEDIA LOSSES
by Libby Kamrowski
The infinity of human life is determined by a single concept. Choice. Cause and effect are the quarreling children born of choice, and choices are how life is experienced. If you change the method of choice, then the outcomes change as well. In the modern age, social media is the chosen means of communication, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing. We lose more than we gain, because social media undoubtedly dulls human nature and draws forth anxious and synthetic relationships.
It is always amusing to imagine a world with only landline phones rather than cellphones. Talking face to face rather than Facetiming. Writing letters rather than thought-purging Tweets. Developing photos rather than adding to Instagram galleries. We would literally be tied down by cords to our phones, but we are still metaphysically tied down today. Everyone allots time for personal conversation and authentic interaction, and for the time spent aloud, they make it up using apps and social media. We gain the mobility to contact each other virtually anywhere, which means a higher volume of requests to be instantly available. This means that the depth of relationships can no longer be determined by how often you make one another available to each other. It almost even seems impossible nowaday to attempt to make regular conversation with another individual. But I know that I’ve been ignored in real life attempts to talk to others aloud, because the other person has been too concerned with their glowing screen.
When I first came to Gonzaga, I signed up for the Montana Gonzaga Out of Bounds pre-orientation program. I knew that we were going to be in the active wilderness for five days, and that we weren’t allowed to bring phones or digital media devices with us. I had planned on hiding it and keeping it with me, reserved for stealthy contact with the outside world. But I’m more than glad that I gave up my connection to the world then through confiscation of my cellphone. I hated not being able to capture the Nature Valley-esque scenery through the lens of my camera on the trip, but it was for much more benefit. The bonds I cultivated with the other “Goobers” was organic beyond modern comprehension. We even stuck together outside of the trip to experience the first few weeks of college with one another. Without digital escape, one can confront their social anxieties and gain meaningful relationships.
This is not to say that relationships over the internet can’t be meaningful. I’m sure that EHarmony would take up a lawsuit with anyone who spouted such a claim. But it we look at the evolution of communication, we go from paper made from trees to wires and glass made by man. Developing natural relationships has grown increasingly synthetic as well. Celebrity Ashton Kutcher wrote an essay called “Has Texting Killed Romance?” in which he says “When someone needs us, he or she needs all of us. There’s no text that can replace a loving touch when someone we love is hurting” (Kutcher 2). Words on a screen are no substitute for the warmth of a hand. Perhaps a direct message via Twitter is a nice outreach, but it is not comparable to an outstretched hand. This is how social media has stunted emotional growth. In terms of relationships, social media can alleviate awkward romantic encounters. There are keyboards to hide behind. Tinder, OkCupid, Whisper, and a plethora of other social media dating sites can remedy social anxiety when meeting others. But this makes things altogether worse when forced to interact face to face.
There are potential dangers to social media as well. The trend of Catfishing, or pretending to be someone you’re not over the internet for personal gain, can hurt other people and even ruin lives. This was a very real issue posed by the Manti Teo scandal in 2012. Internet predators or sex offenders can adopt the media persona of a friendly young adult in order to lure actual young adults to their homes. Bullies can revel in anonymous satisfaction at torturing others through fake profiles over the internet or spreading personal information of others. And because social media was built on the foundation of instant gratification, this means hate can spread quickly over the web. If one were to bully through hand-written notes at school or in a similar situation, word could not spread nearly as fast. Personal connections have a higher potential to be damaged due to the higher volume of outlets and possibilities for fickle or cruel behavior.
There are so many ways that social media undoubtedly improves life. But when we begin to dictate our lives by instant gratification without even realizing it, we need to stop and look around for the relationships that really matter. It is important to return to the roots of real human relationships, rather than search for profiles or ways to up your social game. Social media communication is convenient, but so long as we choose the organic ways to develop relationships, we can continue forward into a future of technology.
It is always amusing to imagine a world with only landline phones rather than cellphones. Talking face to face rather than Facetiming. Writing letters rather than thought-purging Tweets. Developing photos rather than adding to Instagram galleries. We would literally be tied down by cords to our phones, but we are still metaphysically tied down today. Everyone allots time for personal conversation and authentic interaction, and for the time spent aloud, they make it up using apps and social media. We gain the mobility to contact each other virtually anywhere, which means a higher volume of requests to be instantly available. This means that the depth of relationships can no longer be determined by how often you make one another available to each other. It almost even seems impossible nowaday to attempt to make regular conversation with another individual. But I know that I’ve been ignored in real life attempts to talk to others aloud, because the other person has been too concerned with their glowing screen.
When I first came to Gonzaga, I signed up for the Montana Gonzaga Out of Bounds pre-orientation program. I knew that we were going to be in the active wilderness for five days, and that we weren’t allowed to bring phones or digital media devices with us. I had planned on hiding it and keeping it with me, reserved for stealthy contact with the outside world. But I’m more than glad that I gave up my connection to the world then through confiscation of my cellphone. I hated not being able to capture the Nature Valley-esque scenery through the lens of my camera on the trip, but it was for much more benefit. The bonds I cultivated with the other “Goobers” was organic beyond modern comprehension. We even stuck together outside of the trip to experience the first few weeks of college with one another. Without digital escape, one can confront their social anxieties and gain meaningful relationships.
This is not to say that relationships over the internet can’t be meaningful. I’m sure that EHarmony would take up a lawsuit with anyone who spouted such a claim. But it we look at the evolution of communication, we go from paper made from trees to wires and glass made by man. Developing natural relationships has grown increasingly synthetic as well. Celebrity Ashton Kutcher wrote an essay called “Has Texting Killed Romance?” in which he says “When someone needs us, he or she needs all of us. There’s no text that can replace a loving touch when someone we love is hurting” (Kutcher 2). Words on a screen are no substitute for the warmth of a hand. Perhaps a direct message via Twitter is a nice outreach, but it is not comparable to an outstretched hand. This is how social media has stunted emotional growth. In terms of relationships, social media can alleviate awkward romantic encounters. There are keyboards to hide behind. Tinder, OkCupid, Whisper, and a plethora of other social media dating sites can remedy social anxiety when meeting others. But this makes things altogether worse when forced to interact face to face.
There are potential dangers to social media as well. The trend of Catfishing, or pretending to be someone you’re not over the internet for personal gain, can hurt other people and even ruin lives. This was a very real issue posed by the Manti Teo scandal in 2012. Internet predators or sex offenders can adopt the media persona of a friendly young adult in order to lure actual young adults to their homes. Bullies can revel in anonymous satisfaction at torturing others through fake profiles over the internet or spreading personal information of others. And because social media was built on the foundation of instant gratification, this means hate can spread quickly over the web. If one were to bully through hand-written notes at school or in a similar situation, word could not spread nearly as fast. Personal connections have a higher potential to be damaged due to the higher volume of outlets and possibilities for fickle or cruel behavior.
There are so many ways that social media undoubtedly improves life. But when we begin to dictate our lives by instant gratification without even realizing it, we need to stop and look around for the relationships that really matter. It is important to return to the roots of real human relationships, rather than search for profiles or ways to up your social game. Social media communication is convenient, but so long as we choose the organic ways to develop relationships, we can continue forward into a future of technology.